Top 5 Arts & Craft Projects for You and Your Little Peanut

We all know that keeping kids entertained is not always the easiest thing to do, especially in the house.  With the colder weather changes, being in the house is becoming more of a reality. We have put together a list of the best DIY projects to keep your littles entertained, while enhancing their Cognitive Development, Gross Motor, and Fine Motor Skills.

 Rainbow Spaghetti (Via funathomewithkids.com)

Supplies Needed:

• Spaghetti
• Liquid Water Colors
• Scissors
• Paper (optional)
• Glue (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Cook the spaghetti like you normally would.
2. Cool the spaghetti down by rinsing with cold water.
3. Separate the Spaghetti into different sections (as many colors as you would like to make.
4. Put the separated spaghetti into ziplock bags, add a few drops of the liquid watercolors or food coloring and shake.
5. Make sure to Let your child/children help you along the way (putting the spaghetti in the bags, adding the drops, shaking the bag…)

Now the Fun Begins:

• Let your child/children put their hands in the colored spaghetti. Smush it, Squeeze it, Pick up individual pieces.
• You can bring out kid friendly scissors (only if your child is old enough to use them), and lets them cut the spaghetti.
• All these steps are great for their cognitive and fine motor skills.
• You can even go a step further if you choose and add different scents to each color!
• Let your child bring some of their toys into the spaghetti, and let their imaginations sore.
• When you’re all done the last thing you can do is turn this magical spaghetti into art!
• Get some paper and glue and lets your little artists go for it. You can make waves, outlines, or even just beautiful abstract art!

Photos via funathomewithkids.com

Check out the full article here.

 

2. Homemade Playdough via familyeducation.com

Making playdough can be a very exciting thing for kids.  Being apart of the process makes their play dough play even more specail! There are two options when making homemade play dough: colored play dough and Kool-Aid Playdough (scented)

Colored Playdough:

Supplies Needed:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• Food coloring
• Saucepan
• 1 cup flour

Directions:

1. To start combine the water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan
2. Heat until warm
3. Remove from heat and add flour
4. Stir together
5. knead until smooth
6. Play! use play knives, cutters, molds…
7. when done you can Store in an airtight container or ziplock freezer bag. (the cream of tarter makes the play dough last 6 months or longer, but if you cant find this ingredient, you can omit and make a new batch for next time)

 

 Kool-Aid Playdough:

Supplies Needed:

• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 cups water
• Saucepan
• Kool-Aid powder for color and smell
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups sifted flour
• Tablespoons alum

Directions:

1.   Combine the salt and water in a saucepan.
2. Boil until the salt dissolves.
3. Remove from heat and add Kool-Aid
4. Add oil, flour, and Alu
5. Knead until smooth
6. Cool Down
7. Play!

This Dough will last up to 2 months, stored in airtight container  or ziplock bag

 

3. Cotton Ball Art Fun (via funathomewithkids.com)

Supplies Needed:

• Cotton Balls (one bag should do)
• Paint
• Paper

Directions:

This is one of those art projects that can go whichever way you want it to depending on the age of your child.

Infants:

let your infant play and touch the cotton balls. Let the cotton balls fall on his/her face (sensory), let them pick up the cotton balls with their finger, poke, squeeze them, etc. (fine motor skills).  Let your child explore the way they want to.  This is super easy, cheap, and clean. Always be sure to supervise your infant to make sure they don’t try to swallow the cotton balls.

Toddler Art with Cotton Balls:

There are so many ways to make art with cotton balls, and the best way to go  about this is to have your child use his/her imagination.

Using Glue:

Using Glue is the same idea, but it’s a little less  messy. You can use an art cut out of your choice, and glue the cotton balls onto the cut out to add texture and white color. Examples you can use would be Snowman, penguins, sheep, polar bears, bunnies, etc.

 

Using paint:

Grab paper, paint, and your cotton balls. Let your child pick their favorite colors and use their cotton balls or paintbrush to paint their paper. When they are done getting  a good coat on the paper, they can paint their cotton balls and stick them on. allow the paint to dry, and you have awesome 3D art for your fridge and wall!

4. Handprint And Footprint Art:

There are so many different art projects you can make simply out of your child’s hand and footprints, and the best part of all is that you will always have an artistic reminder of how teeny their hands and feet used to be!

Supplies Needed:

• Paint
• Paper
• Baby Hand/Foot

Directions:

This is is really all up to you and your child on what you want to make. here are a few examples of the different pieces you can make with your child.

1. You can make almost any animal with a handprint. craftulate.com has given 26 different ideas to use!

2. Kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com has a list of the “30 of the Best Hand & Foot Ideas” check out their list here: (http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com/2016/02/the-best-hand-and-footprint-art-ideas.html/)

3. FunHandprintartBlog.com has a list of creative ways to use prints to make art, and its all broken up into sections to make it easier to find what you are looking for. Check them out here:(http://funhandprintartblog.com)

4. Google, Google, Google: type in Handprint art ideas, click images, and you will have hundreds and hundreds of ideas!

5. Pasta Art & Sensory:

Supplies Needed:

• Pasta (any shape/Color)
• Paper
• Glue
• Bowls, measuring cups, spoons (optional)

Directions:

1. Grab your bag of pasta and open it.
2. You can start of by letting your child touch/feel/play with the pasta.
3. BE SURE TO WATCH YOUR CHILD, BECAUSE THEY WILL TRY AND PUT THE PASTA IN THEIR MOUTH.
4. You can bring out bowls, measuring cups, spoons, and let your child’s pretend play and imagination kick in.
5. Watch them play and Enjoy!

 

6.   The next thing you can do is put the pasta in a bowl, and put some toys in in. You can put insects in the pasta like funathomewithkids.com did (pictured below). Let your child search for the objects and use their imagination and curiosity.

 

7. If you are using colored or different shaped pasta, you can have your toddler use his/her cognitive ability to sort the pasta.  Encourage your child to make patterns out of the pasta as well!

8.   Making Colored Pasta:

If you can not find colored pasta you can make it super easy yourself learnplayimagine.com  gives simple directions on dying pasta.

Supplies Needed:

• dried pasta
• liquid watercolors or food coloring
• ziplock bags
• wax paper

Directions:

1. Put desired amount into ziplock bag
2. Add coloring
3. Shake bag
4. spread out on wax paper and allow to dry

Super Simple!

9.  Now for the last step you can do with the dried pasta: ART & Jewelry:

This is completely open and up to you and your child. All you need is the pasta, paper, glue, and string.